The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series

by Jacqueline Druga

  “And the only way to do that is to stop Frank from making that call,” Dean said.

  “Exactly.” Henry dropped his head. Dean had seen his point.

  “That’s . . .” Frank stood up, holding the note book. “Not necessarily true.” He looked at the two of them. “I have another plan. I can get our Ellen back and keep Robbie in Beginnings along with all the good he’s done.”

  “Frank!” Henry scolded. “Listen to you. We have to change things back period. Haven’t you ever seen Star Trek? They have this thing called the prime directive. What that means is . . .”

  “Fuck the Star Trek shit. Henry, listen to me.” Frank held up the notebook. “If we can get Robbie to Ashtonville at the onset of the plague or at least before we take off for Beginnings, we can have the same Beginnings history as now, less, the Robbie, Dean, and Ellen thing.”

  Dean had to disagree some. “You can’t be sure of that Frank. What effect will Robbie have on our lives if he never married Ellen? He certainly wouldn’t be the same man. There would have to be some differences.”

  “Sure there would be,” Frank stated, “but I’m willing to chance it. I’m certain my plan will work. We stop me from making that phone call and mail this letter.” He handed it to Dean despite Henry’s snickering at him. “I place this letter in an envelope saying do not open until May 29th the year of the plague then mail that envelope to him. Here’s what I figure will happen. The phone call is stopped. Robbie gets the letter and one of two things will occur. He will either hold it until that year or, he will open it right away and think I’m nuts and blow me off. But if he blows me off, somewhere in the back of his mind . . .”

  Dean smiled. “He’ll remember the letter that made him think you lost it.” He handed the notebook to Henry. “The letter really makes you sound nuts Frank if he reads it too early.” He saw Frank nod. “And if it never makes it to the back of his mind, he’ll never show up in Ashtonville and we will be back to square one when we return.”

  Henry slammed the notebook back to Frank. “Listen to you two. You can’t do this. Doing this is trying to actually conform things to the way we want them to be. That just can’t be done. How do you know that he’s not going to open the letter and see the name Ashtonville and run there anyhow?”

  “The same way I can’t guarantee that when I stop myself from making that phone call and walk away, that my past-self won’t just wait until I leave and pick that phone right back up.” Frank had caught Henry’s and Dean’s attention on something they hadn’t thought of. “I know me. I’m a hard head. At least this letter is a backup, a weird one, but a backup. Yes we still stand a chance that Robbie will go to Ashtonville early. If that happens and we return and Robbie is still married to Ellen, then we are no worse off than we are now.”

  Henry closed his eyes in thought. “If that happen, Frank, then what do we do?”

  “We fight, Henry.” Frank clenched his notebook with passion. “We fight to make our lives what we want them to be. I’ll do it. I’ll get the respect I deserve. Maybe when I do that, I can get Ellen in my life. And Dean, Dean can work on her. And you, Henry, you have to just say screw my brother and make her that friend that you need. If he has her when we get back, then together, the three of us will take her and make her who she supposed to be. Not to mention one very important thing . . . Denny. Let’s make Beginnings the way it should be.” Frank held his hand out, palms down to the center of the three. “Who is in on this with me?”

  Dean raised his hand and laid it down with a smack of assurance over Frank’s. “I’m in.”

  Henry saw them looking at him, waiting. With a sighing, whining stature, Henry lifted his hand. “Aw Frank.” He laid it down over both of theirs. “If things don’t work out the way you want them to be, no whining like a baby and gacking in my toilet . . . I’m in.”

  ^^^^

  Joe noticed the uneasiness of Henry as he stood last in line behind Frank and Dean to make their second tome trip. “Henry? I thought you of all people would be happy about changing things back.”

  “Sorry Joe.” Henry shook his head. “I’m just a little upset that this happened in the first place. Wait until I tell my past self what he may or may not see when he comes through the machine with the past Frank and Dean.”

  Dean, who stood in front, looked back at hm. “What do you mean, Henry?”

  “My past self. If you two are gonna find Frank, who do you think is going to be sitting at the time machine archway when we go through there. Me. And I brought myself a book to read while I write in my journal, if that makes any sense.” He took the pedant that Jason handed him. “However, I know me. I’ll know something is up when I see me coming back though the . . .”

  Jason just held his hand up to Henry halting him. He spoke soothingly to him. “You’re confusing even me. Now, knowing the time of day it is, you three are in luck. I won’t be in this lab when you return so make sure you pull the door closed tightly.” He began to punch the sequence in. “Ready gentlemen, do this right.” With a loud humming, power surging sound, the archway lit up.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The fix it trip

  Henry expected it, and there it was, the look of utter shock and surprise on his past-self’s face when the three of them came through the archway. Holding his hand up to his past-being, Henry faced Frank and Dean. “Go on. And don’t screw up again.”

  Frank nodded in agreement, pushing his bike alongside of Dean. He stopped midfield, looked back, and smiled. “Bye ,Henry. Bye Henry. Have fun talking to yourself.” He snickered and faced Dean. “I didn’t want to hang around two Henrys. One drives me nuts enough.”

  Henry stood close, but not too close to his stunned past-self whose mouth hung open. “You don’t want to know. But I’m going to tell you.” He handed over a book to him. “I forgot this, rather you forgot this.”

  Past-Henry looked down at the book. “Thanks. Why . . . why are you three here?”

  Henry fluttered his lips. “Let me tell you. Sit down.” They both sat at the same time, pulling their legs up the same fashion to their chests as they sat in the high weeds. “Frank screwed up time, big time. You are going to be so pissed off when you get back there and see what he did if him and Dean don’t fix this. I will tell you what that is. But first.” Henry nodded with a smile. “I’m pissed at Frank and you are going to help me pay him back. When you go through the time machine today, you have to find Ellen. She will play a big role in this.”

  “Ellen? How’s that?”

  Henry smiled at his past self assuredly. Then, with pleasure, began to tell the plan he himself had come up with, and after that was all said and done, Henry informed his past self of what exactly happened, what he may or may not see, and what things were like., just to save himself the shock he felt that first time. Henry did however, elude from telling his past-self the plan that was presently in motion. He didn’t want to hear himself bitch.

  ^^^^

  Frank motioned his head to Dean as they rode side by side slowly down the street of Miles City. Frank spotted her, that unpleasant and annoying woman in the fast food restaurant uniform. She walked, rather waddled down the street away from where the phone was. Frank knew at that moment he had to be on the phone. Hopefully with Joe.

  Pulling off to the side walk, Frank stumbled from the bike, running to the payphone, pulling off his helmet as he did. He saw his past-self on the phone as he stepped to it. The door was open and that allowed Frank’s heart to sink when he heard his past-self spew forth with exasperation one single word. ‘Robbie’. Frank knew what that meant. He saw his past-self’s expression, the way he leaned against the booth. With a heavy fist, Frank slammed the glass on the payphone. “Hang up the fuckin phone!”

  The phone fumbled from the past-Frank’s hand it dangled down. “What the fuck.”

  “Don’t say it. Don’t say shit to him.” Frank spoke harshly to himself, then lowered his voice to a whisper. He could hear from the dangling rece
iver, Robbie calling out. “Pick up the phone and just tell him you wanted to say ‘hi’ and say no more.” He watched himself hesitate. “Do it.”

  Past-Frank picked up the phone and placed it to his ear. “Robbie.” He closed his eyes. “Hey, I just wanted to say hello. It’s . . . It’s been awhile.” There was silence. “Yeah, good.” Past-Frank heard the sound of snapping fingers to hurry him along. “Robbie, I have to go. I’ll call you soon. Be good.” He hung up the phone and turned around. “What?”

  Frank curled his lip at his past-self. “I cannot believe I was that stupid. Do you know what that call you were gonna make did? You went back to Beginnings, yeah, Robbie was there and guess what? He was married to Ellen. You . . . me . . . whatever. We’re the town drunk.”

  “No way. I don’t get drunk,” Past-Frank said.

  “In the new and improved Beginnings we do.” Frank turned his head to the pair of old ladies who had slowed down to gawk at what they probably thought were the meanest looking twins. “What!?” Frank snapped at them. “Beat it!”

  “So you’re here to stop me. Will it work?” Past-Frank asked.

  “I hope.” Frank crossed his fingers to his past-self. “Dean is waiting. Do not call Robbie. Got that?!” He saw himself nod. “Good. Because if you do, not only when you get back will Robbie be married to Ellen. But Dean, him and Robbie share her.” He saw the look of disgust and anger on his past-self’s face. “That’s right.” Frank backed up. “And don’t eat them quarter pounders with cheese either.” Turning and running, Frank made it back to his bike and Dean. “Done.”

  “You think it’ll work?”

  Frank looked up as he straddled the motorcycle and placed on his helmet. “Now I do. Look, there you come.”

  Dean peered forward. “Wow, am I that short?”

  “What the fuck have I been telling you for years, Dean? You thought I was lying?” Frank prepared to start his bike. “But, I have to say, for a little man, you throw a hell of a punch.”

  Dean grinned. “Thanks, Frank. That’s a big compliment coming from you.”

  “You’re welcome.” With a jump up, Frank started the bike and waited for Dean.

  Frank sat on his bike biting his nails. He watched the glass doors of the post-office waiting for Dean to come out. His eyes shifted from the doors to the block up the street where the meter maid was walking with her ticket pad. Not that Frank cared if they got a ticket for parking in a yellow zone, but he worried more so about the fact that the registration on the bikes weren’t due to expire for another five years. Somewhere between his watching the blond police woman-wanna-be and the doors, Dean came out. Frank’s shoulders dropped when he saw him. “Did you do it?”

  “Yep.” Dean hopped on the bike. “Mailed.”

  “Are you sure? You were awfully insistent that you go in there.”

  “Frank, I insisted I go in there because I didn’t want them to mistake you for any of the pictures they had on the wall.” He placed on the helmet with a smirk.

  “Oh.” Frank placed on his. “We’d better move before that meter maid gets here. She’s getting close.”

  “Yeah, let’s head back and save Henry from himself.” Dean reached for the key to the bike.

  “Dean?” Frank looked with seriousness to him. “What do you think will happen?”

  “I don’t know Frank.” Dean looked back to the post office and thought of the letter he had mailed. “Only time will tell.”

  ^^^^^^

  STATE OF TIME

  BOOK SIX

  CHANGE

  HENRY’S JOURNAL

  November 27

  Sitting here ten years in the past, writing this, waiting, I know this can’t continue. The power supply for the Quantum Regressionator is limited. It can’t be wasted on fixing any more time ripples. Frank’s phone call. He just wanted to get Robbie to Ashtonville at the onset of the plague so he could come to Beginnings and the world wouldn’t make him bad. Robbie went Ashtonville early all right, so early that he and Ellen got married. But Robbie . . . was still bad. Now I wait for Dean and Frank’s return. They are trying to stop the phone call. Instead they plan to mail a letter and try again. Get Robbie to Ashtonville at the right time. Conform Beginnings. I’m afraid to step back through the time machine door and see what Frank and Dean have done to my world. But this is it. No matter what, we must accept the changes and go on. We have a virus in our future to beat. And we have a trail to find that hopefully will lead us to the Caceres Society. Find out what we have in Beginnings that they want so badly they would destroy us for it. No more changing the past., only the future.

  CHAPTER ONE

  November 27 - Present Day

  Beginnings, Montana

  Jason Godrichson worked diligently with Joe on the future time trip. A trip planned, nearing launch, and one with a lot of details, both mechanical and strategically left to hash out. In the quantum lab they worked, Jason by his computer, Joe by the counter. One of Jason aspects of the team were to make sure that when they went into the future, Dean, Ellen, and Henry wouldn’t be unleashed into some black hole that would suck them up and cause their inability to return. Chuckling at that thought, Jason crossed his arms over his tall thin body and peered out his window again. He waited with anticipation and excitement for the arrival of the Centers for Disease Control Mobile.

  Clearing his throat with a slight laugh, Joe Slagel looked up from his notebook. “What did I tell you? Watching for it won’t make it arrive. John said if they can’t get it moving by dark . . .”

  “I know. I’m just anxious for my new neighbor. I’ve been lonely way out here.”

  “And you’re so full of shit,” Joe said in his usual gruff way. “You just want to see it before Dean does. Little scientist rivalry.”

  “Exactly.” Jason smiled.

  Joe stood up with his notes and headed Jason’s way. “O.K. With the stuff the time trio . . .”

  “You mean Frankie, Spanky, and Cranky?” Jason snickered. “Sorry, go on.”

  “With the stuff that the three stooges of time . . .” Joe added his own dig. “…brought back from their past trip, I would say the Cleveland Run is our best option. See if we find anything there that will take us on our next trip to the past.”

  “And the future trip will either give us the virus to work on or tell us of no virus. Therefore we will know if our concentration must be divided between the two or just on the Society itself. Coinciding the two is a time saver.”

  With the sound of a power surge, a bright light, and a slight warm breeze, Jason and Joe turned in oddity to the Regressionator archway. It lit up and walking through were Frank and Dean, pushing the motorcycles with Henry behind them.

  Jason nearly flew back in surprise into Joe. “Holy shit.”

  “Fuck.” Frank’s towering body stopped cold. His mouth dropped open. “It didn’t work.”

  With his small framed body looking buried behind the huge motorcycle, Dean peered clueless to Henry. “What’s going on?”

  Henry shrugged and tried to hide that he was laying a pendant on the counter.

  Joe took a step forward. “That’s what I’d like to know. What is going on?”

  “And . . .” Jason added. “Why are you three walking through my time machine? Right now. At this time?”

  “You don’t know?” Frank asked. “Wait . . .” Lost and confused he looked at Jason. “Did you lie?”

  “About what?” Jason questioned..

  “You said you weren’t going to be here.” Frank said.

  “When?” Jason tossed his hands up.

  “When you sent us through,” Frank explained. “You said, ‘I won’t be here to pull the door ‘. . .” Frank grunted loudly when he felt the backhand into his gut by Henry. “Hey.”

  “Shut up, Frank.” Henry spoke through his forced smile he gave Jason and Joe. “Let’s just go. Dean?” Henry came from behind the duo and hurried to the door.

  Dean followed the lead. “Bye, Joe. Jas
on.” Pushing the bike, he stopped with Henry by the door. “Frank. Come on.”

  “Frank?” Joe looked to him.

  “Shh.” Frank held a finger to his lips. “Just pretend you didn’t see us.” He looked up at the moans from Dean and Henry. “What? If they don’t, they shouldn’t know. Right?”

  Again Dean and Henry moaned only they added a cringe of their bodies.

  “What?” Frank shook his head, walked a little and stopped. “Oh, Dad? Is Robbie here?”

  Busted. As a warning, both Dean and Henry moaned their loudest yet.

  Frank jolted a little, groaned perturbed at them then looked back to Joe. “Is he?”

  “Is Robbie here?” Joe repeated the question then shifted his eyes around. “What the hell is the matter with you Frank? Of course he’s not here. Why would your brother be here?”

  “No . . . no reason.” A sadness took over Frank and he walked out of the quantum lab behind Dean and Henry. He pulled the door closed.

  Henry grumbled a complaining whine, “I can’t believe you were in there spewing your mouth, Frank. It’s bad enough walking through the time machine. We could have made something up. But no, you have to . . .”

  Dean’s shifting eyes caught what Henry did not, Frank’s demeanor. “Henry.” Dean said calmly. “Enough. It’s all right. No matter how we reacted or what we said, we still came through that machine. There’s gonna be questions.” Dean looked to Frank who was mounting his bike. “I’m sorry. I really am sorry this didn’t work for you.”

  Frank only nodded. Solemn exuded from him. “Well, at least things are probably back to normal.” He looked at his watch. “And since it’s a normal workday, we should slip back to work.” With a slight lift of his body, Frank started the bike and took off.